Karnataka Home Minister assures protection to Tamilians

Bangalore, Sep 19 (UNI) The Karnataka Government today assured protection to Tamilians in the state following the torching of a bus belonging to Tamil Nadu, in which two people were charred to death, and the attack on the house of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's daughter in the city last night.

Condemning the incidents, Home Minister M P Prakash alleged that some anti-social elements were trying to create a rift between Tamilians and Kannadigas, who were living in peace.

Police had already taken up investigation and the culprits would be brought to book soon, he added.

He said the matter had been conveyed to Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and an assurance was conveyed to Mr Karunanidhi in this regard.

Mr Prakash said Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had instructed the police to speed up the investigation and nab the culprits at the earliest.

Meanwhile, city Police Commissioner Neelam Achutha Rao told newspersons that patrolling has been intensified on the routes.

Nine people were being interrogated in connection with the attack on the house, Mr Rao said.

To a question, he said investigations were on to find out whether the two incidents were inter-related or not, since the descriptions by eyewitnesses were not matching.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu State Transport authorities, who had suspended bus services after the violent incident, resumed the service at 1100 hrs.

UNI